Seeing Red

There was nothing left to prove, especially during the final seconds of an otherwise uneventful fourth quarter, but Avon Park guard Van'Derkel Clayton saw an opportunity. He wheeled around and spotted Alonzo Robertson streaking down the court, so he lofted it up to the big man with no defenders in sight.

Robertson unleashed a primal scream and threw it down emphatically at the final horn, igniting the Avon Park faithful one last time.

And rankling the Sebring fans in the process.

Yep, just another indelible moment in this long, combustible rivalry.

Clayton led all scorers with 22 points, Avierre Conner scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Avon Park swept the season series with its county rival by beating Sebring 64-53 on Thursday night.

"I thought we played very disciplined," Avon Park coach Luther Clemons said. "It was a tough game, of course, because it was a rivalry game, but the main thing was that we took care of business, got it done and got ready for districts."

At the end of this one, chants cascaded down from the divided bleachers as the Red Devils fans reveled in victory, stomping and clapping and singing in unison. The loudest roar was reserved for the final seconds, when the Sebring players slumped near midcourt as Robertson rattled the rim and was mobbed by teammates and classmates.

Said Sebring coach Princeton Harris: "Avon Park has a good ballclub this year."

Perhaps the school's best ever.

With the victory, the Red Devils improved to 20-1, their lone loss coming against a ranked team - First Academy (Orlando). They already have posted their best start in school history - 12-0 - while essentially wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the district tournament earlier this month. With nine days until districts, they now have their sights fixed on the Lakeland Center, site of the state playoffs.

"That loss was probably the best thing that could have happened to us," Clemons said. "We hadn't lost a home game in two years, we were doing some things team-wise that were going to get them in trouble against playoff-caliber teams, and they realized that what we were saying was true."

Avon Park appeared vulnerable in the fourth quarter, leading by only four with 1:09 left after Sebring freshman Marcus Dewberry sank a long 3-pointer. But the Blue Streaks turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, and Conner calmly made his free throws to seal the win.

"Those turnovers hurt because we were right there," Harris said. "That was definitely a momentum-changer, and that hurts."

More painful was the manner in which Sebring frittered away several opportunities to seize control of the game. The Blue Streaks led only once - 27-26 with 1:48 left in the first half - and made uncharacteristic mistakes that had Harris rubbing his head after the game.

Skittish ball-handling. Sloppy entry passes. Failing to box out on free throws. They all doomed the Blue Streaks, who were outscored 21-14 in the decisive final period.

"We didn't do anything in the fourth quarter," Harris said. "We just turned the ball over during crucial parts of the game."

Sebring trailed 31-29 at halftime, loudly cutting its deficit even with its offensive dynamo, Devin Clarke, on the bench with three quick fouls. Clarke picked up his fourth midway through the third quarter and was resigned to the bench for the rest of the period.

When he returned, the Blue Streaks had finally begun to hit shots from beyond the 3-point line, while also attacking inside despite the ever-looming presence of the rangy Robertson.

In an interesting sequence, Avon Park held the ball for nearly a minute-and-a-half to close out the third quarter, grinding the game to a standstill. The Blue Streaks merely stood back and waited - a tactic, you'll remember, that cost them dearly in a now-infamous loss to Haines City earlier this season.

Nonetheless, Avon Park maintained a comfortable advantage and weathered a few Sebring surges in the fourth quarter to head into Friday's district finale against Lake Placid with an eight-game winning streak.

"That's when we play our best," Clemons said, "when we play as a team and play as a unit. That's been our indicator all year."

Dewberry was the only Sebring player to score in double figures (18 points). The Blue Streaks will have a week off before playing at Hardee next Friday.

"We've just got to continue to play hard," Harris said. "We played hard; we just made some bad mistakes, some crucial turnovers. That's what sticks out."